Danville Express

Living - April 4, 2008

Movie review: Flawless 3-1/2 stars

Rating: PG-13 for mature themes
Run Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes

"Flawless" begs the question: Are diamonds really a girl's best friend?

1n 1960s London, Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) is the sole female senior executive at London Diamond Corp. Not surprisingly Laura is passed over time and again for bigger and better positions, continually bumping up against the glass ceiling.

Frustration mounts as the old boys club persistently closes ranks. Salvation arrives in the curious form of building janitor Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine) who has his ear to the ground, eyes in the waste bin and fully grasps the measure of Laura's dissatisfaction. Rumor has it the big brass intends to terminate the girl with nary a fare thee well.

To that end Hobbs offers to cut Laura in on a deal: Help him procure the combination to the main vault and he will gain entrance on his rounds and walk out with a thermos full of diamonds.

As the vault holds the largest single deposit of riches on the planet, a few handfuls of bling won't be missed. They owe her something, Hobbs reasons, so why not just take it?

"Flawless" is a bit of a revelation, revealing when it needs to be and unpredictable when you least expect it. Storyline is tailored to introduce some tidy politics - a smattering of Soviets and South African rebels and heated debates on the tenor of international trade.

Caine could play Hobbs in his sleep and he has; color me surprised at his novel spin. Moore is cool and collected as an ambitious, pencil-thin-skirt-clad Oxford grad clawing her way to an inaccessible top.

Best of show is the catchy mise en scene, lushly handsome shot composition both artful and clever. Tension is heightened by a run of crafty editing at the heist's most nerve-wracking moments. London exudes upper-crust elegance; only the very final frames tilt toward clumsy sentiment.

--Jeanne Aufmuth

For more movie reviews or local show times, go to www.DanvilleWeekly.com